About

White Ash: #1-2

$14,865

pledged of $7,100 goal

443

backers

White Ash is a comic book series written by Charlie Stickney with art by Conor Hughes and colors by Fin Cramb. The fifty-two page first issue launched on Kickstarter last year and thanks to our amazing backers, quickly became the best reviewed Coal Mining Fantasy/Horror/ Forbidden Romance tale of all time. (Yes, we know we’re the only C.M.F.H.F.R. comic, but still, check out these reviews.) If you’re a fan of Supernatural, Twin Peaks or Lord of the Rings, you’re going to love getting to know our mysterious town.

This campaign is to raise funds to print Chapter Two and hopefully hit a couple of Stretch Goals. (We have some incredible ones lined up that we’re dying to tell you about.)

Welcome to White Ash, a small smudge of a mining town in Western Pennsylvania, where the secrets are buried even deeper than the coal under the mountain.

In Chapter One, we met Aleck who's been counting down the hours till he can get the hell out of town and head off to college.

But an accident at the coal mine stalls his exit, setting him down a life-altering path.

One that brings him into the orbit of the enigmatic Lillian Alden.

There's a natural chemistry between the two... some would even call it HOT. But not as hot as Thane Alden's burning rage would be if he found out Aleck was spending time with his daughter.

And Thane is only one of the many dangers that Aleck's forbidden flirtation has brought. For Lillian has her own secret agenda... an agenda that may get Aleck killed.

Along his dangerous path, Aleck uncovers a secret about his family that changes everything he knows about himself, the people around him, and the town of White Ash.

And that was only the first issue. In Chapter Two the curtains really get pulled back on what's going on in the town. So now let's take a spoiler-free look at a couple of pages from White Ash: Chapter Two.

But, Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone we showed these to you.

Okay, that's it. We hope you enjoyed that little taste. What's that, you want some more? Well, thanks to the White Ash Chamber of Commerce, we have a short "get to know our town" video. True, it's a bit dated, but it should give you a good sense of what life is like in our idyllic little mining community.

You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content.

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What? You still need to see more before you pledge? You do? Well, okay, you can download a 25 page ashcan of Chapter One HERE.

Money raised will go toward artist fees, printing, backer rewards and shipping of the second issue. And if we're lucky enough to surpass our goal, any additional funding will go towards creating new rewards or be put directly back into the book in the form of additional pages, and production of future issues. No one is looking to get rich here. (Otherwise we wouldn't be doing comics. Really, we wouldn't.) We just want to ensure that we can produce an amazing high-quality comic book series that our backers will enjoy for years to come.

These books are HUGE. There's too much story in White Ash to contain it in 22 page issues. Chapter One was a 52 page beast. Chapter Two is 32 pages long. And that kind of content deserves a premium paper weight.

We print White Ash on a heavy 85 lb glossy paper stock with a 105 lb glossy cover. When you pick up one of our books, you'll feel the White Ash difference.

This campaign we have a special Valentine's Day Variant Cover -- a tip of the cap to the Secret Romance comics of the 60's, drawn by Conor with colors by Fin Cramb. Only 300 of these will be printed and they will ONLY be sold on Kickstarter.

We know what it's like to open up a package and find a mangled Kickstarter comic inside. We pack our books with care that we used in making the book and the love that we have for our backers.

Each comic is bagged, double-boarded and sent in stay-flat packaging. Made in White Ash means everything from the content, to the mailer we use, meets our standards of quality.

We this time around we have a virtual treasure trove of loot, starting with...

Stretch Goal #1 ($8,500) A Big Thank You.

As a sign of our appreciation we’re going send every backer who’s getting a physical reward, a 6x9 print of this gorgeous thank you illustration drawn by White Ash's own Conor Hughes.

Stretch Goal #2 ($9,500) Supersize Me.

We’re super-sizing the deluxe PDF of Chapter Two. There will be even more of how Conor and Fin break down drawing and painting a page. We’re included the full script that Charlie wrote, with annotations on how he approaches a scene. If you got our deluxe version of Chapter One, this will be like that… on steroids.

Stretch Goal #3 ($10,500) Stuck on you.

Everyone pledging at the physical reward level will receive one of these spiffy White Ash tree logo magnets. The only question is do you like them better in color…

OR classic black and white.

Backers can vote and make their choice known.

Stretch Goal #4 ($12,000) NICK ROBLES VARIANT COVER.

Nick's bringing his amazing talent from IDW, BOOM and VAULT to White Ash to do an exclusive Kickstarter VARIANT COVER for our backers. Everyone who pledging at the BOTH COVERS level or higher, will get one N.R. variant cover added to their haul for FREE. And if you pledge at the Variant Cover tier, you’ll have a choice between our V-Day cover and whatever the man who did this…

...comes up with for White Ash: Chapter Two. These variants are Kickstarter exclusives and will NOT be offered again. We are only be printing up enough for our fabulous backers. So if you want one, make sure you’re pledged at tier that includes them.

Stretch Goal #5 ($14,00) TRADE ME PLEASE

We’re printing up a set of four White Ash Trading Cards featuring our favorite residents. All backers who pledged at The Book Tier will get one randomly selected card. Everyone who pledged at a higher tier will get the whole set. Conor and Fin are going to design some new artwork, exclusive to the cards. They’re going to the ultimate White Ash collectable.

And seeing as we hit 14K with 40 hours left to go, we're going to see how big we can make the card set. So for every additional $500 we raise, we’ll add another card to the set. So at $14,500 we’ll do 5 cards… at $15,000 we’ll do six… and so on.

And if we hit 15K, EVERY BACKER getting a physical reward, will get the full set of cards (whatever the number). So tell your friends that there's even more White Ash to be had.

And thank you again for all the support for our project. We're thrilled that you want to be part of what we're building. It means the world to us.

Risks and challenges

We learned a lot from our first Kickstarter. Even though we did our best to ship our rewards on schedule, in the end we were a little delayed when it came to delivery. This was due to underestimating how long it would take to make 52 pages (Chapter One was a beast) and our books literarily missing the boat that was supposed to take them across the ocean.

This time around we changed one huge piece of the puzzle, the book is done. 100% complete. So as soon as the KS funds, it’s off to the printer. PDF copies should be in everyone’s hands within a couple of weeks of the campaign ending.

Sure, there’s always a chance there could be another delay. Things happen. Have you watched Hitchcock’s The Birds? You do not want to screw with an animal that can dive bomb your head with a beak and talons. So, that being said, if our suppliers are dealing with a feathery situation, we promise to keep you apprised and let you know if the timetable changes. We want all our backers to be part of White Ash for a long time. To us, we see this as the beginning of a beautiful relationship. And if you've actually read all this, it seems that relationship has already begun. So thank you.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge US$ 3 or more
About US$ 3

Move to Town

THANK YOU! For helping us continue to bring White Ash to life, your name will be added to our special credit/residents of White Ash list at the back of the digital version of Chapter Two. You will also have access to backer only updates and receive a digital version of the White Ash V-Day card set to print and cut out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $12 or more
About $12

Digital Catch Up

A digital download of the standard and deluxe versions White Ash Chapter 1 and 2. That's over 200 pages of story and content. Get quickly caught up on all things happening in the White Ash universe. Plus previous digital rewards.

Includes:
• Digital PDF Chapters One and Two
• Digital Valentine's Day card set
• Credit in the digital comic

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $13 or more
About $13

THE BOOK (EARLY BIRD SPECIAL)

For our returning backers. This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early! Be one of the first to own a printed copy of White Ash #2. As an extra thank you, we're going to throw in a drink coaster we swiped from Sif's (sorry, Sif). Also comes with 1 new White Ash postcard, an exclusive to KS vintage advertisement and a limited edition 6X11 Dragon print (the first 150 signed and numbered by Conor Hughes) and a printed copy of the Valentine's Day card set. Plus previous digital rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $18 or more
About $18

THE BOOK

Be one of the first to own a printed copy of White Ash #2. As an extra thank you, we're going to throw in a drink coaster we swiped from Sif's (sorry, Sif). Also comes with 1 new White Ash postcard, an exclusive to KS vintage advertisement and a limited edition 6X11 Dragon print (the first 150 signed and numbered by Conor Hughes) and a printed copy of the Valentine's Day card set. Plus previous digital rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $22 or more
About $22

PRINT CATCH UP (EARLY BIRD SPECIAL)

Missed our first Kickstarter? No problem, we've got you covered. Get the Standard Cover print versions of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. (Over 80 pages of story) Also comes with the 4 postcards and the White Ash bookmark from our previous campaign. (Plus all previous rewards) This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

PRINT CATCH UP

Missed our first Kickstarter? No problem, we've got you covered. Get the Standard Cover print versions of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. (Over 80 pages of story) Also comes with the 4 postcards and the White Ash bookmark from our previous campaign. (Plus all previous rewards)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

VARIANT COVER (EARLY BIRD SPECIAL)

Same rewards as "The Book" tier but with our limited edition (only 300 made and ONLY sold on Kickstarter) Variant Cover to Chapter 2. This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $31 or more
About $31

BOTH COVERS (EARLY BIRD SPECIAL)

Same rewards as "The Book" tier but with copies of both the standard and limited edition variant covers for Chapter 2. This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $33 or more
About $33

ALL THE COVERS CATCH UP (EARLY BIRD)

Are you a completist? Missed our first Kickstarter? No problem, we've got you covered. Get the Standard and Variant cover print versions of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Also comes with the 4 postcards and the White Ash bookmark from our previous campaign. This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $36 or more
About $36

POSTERS TOO (EARLY BIRD)

Everything in the "Both The Covers" tier plus 2 11X17 posters (One of each of our covers for Chapter 2) ready for framing. For our returning backers. This tier will only be open for the first 48 hours, so make sure to get your copies early!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $38 or more
About $38

ALL THE COVERS CATCH UP PACK

Are you a completist? Missed our first Kickstarter? No problem, we've got you covered. Get the Standard and Variant cover print versions of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Also comes with the 4 postcards and the White Ash bookmark from our previous campaign.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

ULTRA RARE PROMO

We printed a tiny run of 25 copies of White Ash #2 for promotion and advertising. And one of them can be yours. The ultimate collectable. All copies are signed and numbered. Plus we'll throw in all rewards from previous tiers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

CHARLES ATLAS ME

No one will kick dirt in your face with this reward. Want to own a fake company? We will give you a couple of options and work with you to design a humorous half-page ad in the style of the old Charles Atlas/Sea Monkey comic spots and print it in the back pages of White Ash #2. We will be happy to draw you in and feature your likeness. If you have a real business that you’d like featured here, we can work with that too. But please contact us before pledging as we’ll need to give it a White Ash makeover so it fits stylistically with the universe of the comic.
This reward comes with all previous rewards.